A bob haircut seems simple enough at first glance, when you're struck with inspiration while scrolling through Instagram and plotting your post-quarantine haircut. The complexities come when considering what type of bob you want.
When you can't put your finger on one particular style (something fresh, but not choppy, with texture, but not too many layers, and definitely no bangs), you, Goldilocks, are in the market for a simple beginner's bob. And that cut — versatile, soft and polished, workable on a towel-dry maintenance plan — is the A-line bob.
Los Angeles hairstylist Sal Salcedo calls this style the "It girl" bob because it's so universal. "It's an effortless and airy bob for the girl that wants that easy texture," he explains of the style, which falls in an A-line slant, just slightly longer at the front and shorter towards the back. "The haircut has a lot of internal movement, which makes the style fall with ease."
Ahead, check out 18 ways to execute 2020's most wearable bob haircut, styled by celebrities and Instagram cool girls alike. Scroll through to find your perfect A-line cut — sure to become another Instagram scroller's inspiration when hair salons reopen.
1 of 18January Jones's subtle A-line bob is proof that you only need an extra half-inch on face-framing strands to give your cut extra dimension.
2 of 18For this season's Fashion Week in Paris, actress Ashley Benson wore a tousled, deep side-parted lob that further proves the versatility and wearability of a cut with a subtle A-line tilt.
4 of 18For styling, go with a
high-shine gloss that shows off the shape and structure of the cut, like model Jourdan Dunn styled by celebrity hairdresser Sascha Breuer.
A subtle differentiation in length from front to back makes
a curly bob easy and effortless to style with a part on either side for a completely different look.
Australian actress Bella Heathcote's blonde bob is classic and adorable, but made trendy with a soft A-line tilt.
7 of 18Kim Kardashian's hairstylist Chris Appleton has been leaning into
bouncy, flipped-under ends, which look even better when there's a little more length to play with in the front.
Though the style is different, Appleton cuts a similar swingy A-line lob on Jennifer Lopez, too.
9 of 18Along with her A-line lob, Mandy Moore promotes the versatility of
rich chocolate color courtesy of her stylist Ashley Streicher.
L.A.-based stylist Anh Co Tran sparked the "
parallel undercut" trend, which is a transitional layering technique that delivers body and movement to thin hair. A parallel undercut can be cut bluntly at the ends, and styled with that soft, A-line shape.
Here, you can see how a more dramatic difference in length between front and back — with front pieces falling around the jawline — gives a gorgeous shape to naturally
curly hair.
Tim Dueñas, stylist at
L.A.'s Nine Zero One Salon, tells us that the key to achieving this look is to focus on the blurred line, which gives the ends that lived-in finish. "Creating a slightly softer perimeter helps make this classic more modern," he says. "It’s also a cut that works on both thick and fine textures."
15 of 18A few long corkscrew curls extending past the jawline gives effortless dimension to a chin-length bob.
16 of 18Salcedo shows how to perfect an A-line cut with messy texture. Not only is the cut right on trend, but the blended platinum blonde is also on our
pre-summer mood boards. If you like a
shorter cut, consider the look L.A. hairstylist Darine Sengseevong calls the “Y2K bob” — a retro take on the modern blunt cut. The style is short around the perimeter of the head, keeping the topmost layers long to be slicked back, styled to either side, or parted in the center framing the face.
A-Line Bob Haircuts To Inspire Your Chic Hairstyle Look
Photo: Camilla Morandi/Corbis via Getty Images. 
